Pearls for the modern woman
We are not your grandmother’s pearls,” states Nir Shinuk, marketing project manager of Yvel. “Go elsewhere if that is what you want.” Yvel is about something else.
Yvel is for the contemporary woman. It is for discerning women who appreciate the beauty of nature combined with creative design and fine workmanship. Yvel is a mirror image of its founders, Orna and Isaac’s surname. It is not surprising that Yvel has become a well respected and leading jewelry brand in two decades since the Levys come from a century-old family tradition of jewelry making.
“Women now want jewelry they can wear,” Nir adds, “not something you will keep in your safe and just wear to a special event,” he stresses. Modern women want versatile pieces. Something they can dress up or down. Something that can be paired with jeans, then can also define an evening look. Yvel has succeeded in giving what this particular woman wants.
Yvel has captured the hearts of pearl connoisseurs all over the world. So much so that Yvel has won the Town and Country Couture Design three years in a row from 2005 to 2007 in that category. Considered the Oscar awards in jewelry, in 2007, the winning piece truly defines Yvel’s design philosophy. “We believe that design should be integrated together with what you get from nature. If the pearls come from the ocean, let them speak for themselves. Keep the pearl as the natural thing and caress it with your ideas and designs,” Isaac Levy states. “In that way, we look at it as pearls created by nature and designed by Yvel,” he adds. A flower made of 21 petals from natural wild fresh-water Japanese pearls combined with diamonds and 18-karat white gold was indeed a work of art. “When Orna and I looked at these pearls, we realized right away that they belong to a flower even more than they belong to an oyster,” describes Isaac. To this day, everything is handcrafted in their design center in Jerusalem, Israel. Together with their team, the Levys continue to personally oversee each particular creation.
Yvel has finally arrived in Manila — to be more specific, at the Silver Vault of Rustans Department Store. Nir presented two main collections: the Rainbow and the Pastel collections. “Isaac Levy discovered these colorful sapphires capturing the hues of the rainbow during one of his travels to Tanzania, Africa,” he says.
The Levys recognize the return to nature and its basic elements. The distinct collection preserves the natural look of the sapphire in different colors, shapes and sizes from rings to earrings necklaces, bracelets and brooches. The natural state of the precious stones together with the design features an organic yet modern tendency. It is definitely for the fashion-forward woman.
For the more romantic woman, there’s the Pastel collection. Soft shades of fresh water pearls in pink, lavender and peach tones are combined with diamonds and multicolored sapphires set in 18-karat white, yellow and rose gold. I fell in love with a necklace with baroque pearls in extraordinary sizes. It features pearls from 18 by 21 to 23 by 27 millimeter pearls with an 18-karat yellow gold clasp also shaped like a baroque. This for me is an investment and a keeper. It’s a piece a woman can enjoy everyday yet can also be a statement detail for an occasion. It’s definitely a modern take on your grandmother’s pearls.
Together with these main collections are their other designs from the One of a Kind, the Black and White, the Biwa and the Golden Brown collections. “When Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake, ceased to cultivate pearls due to pollution in 1985, it was thought that we would see the last of Biwa pearls,” says Nir. How fortunate that the Levys bought a large quantity of Biwa coin pearls from an auction in 1998. “Then, Yvel has connected with pearl farmers from two major fresh water pearl farms to help cultivate unique and exclusive lines of pearls,” he adds. The collection highlights new pearls intertwined with the original Biwa pearls mixed with diamonds to create unique pieces. From inspirations of Orna and Isaac’s travels to the land and waters of the black pearl Tahitian world, the Black and White collection was introduced. Natural pearls, black diamonds and 18-karat white gold make up the collection’s exotic vibe. “The Golden Brown collection, on the other hand, emphasizes the beauty of the unusual shades and colors of South Sea salt water pearls in gold, brown, copper, champagne and light green.”
Another sensual and exotic collection, these warm shades are combined with white and cognac colored diamonds set in 18-karat yellow gold. “Set apart from other collections, the One of a Kind is carefully created through years of collecting rare pearls and gemstones,” Nir said. “It is a sophisticated collection for sophisticated art collectors created not for the sake of fashion but for the sake of passion” from Isaac Levy.
Jewelry now is effortless yet sophisticated. There are truly a myriad of beautiful things accessible to every woman’s style personality. Yvel will definitely be part of the mod woman’s list. “Through the years of designing fine jewelry, we managed to solder the link between connoisseurs who appreciate the beauty of this world and Yvel’s affordable art.” Isaac Levy
Yvel’s collection is at The Silver Vault of Rustan’s.
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Send queries and suggestions to jo@joyceorena.com.
